Impatience | I would carve it fondly in the bark of trees

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by Wilhelm Müller (1794 - 1827)

Translation © by Emily Ezust

Ich schnitt' es gern in alle Rinden ein

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG ENG FIN FRE GRE HEB ITA KOR LIT POR

Ich schnitt' es gern in alle Rinden ein,
Ich grüb' es gern in jeden Kieselstein,
Ich möcht' es sä'n auf jedes frische Beet
Mit Kressensamen, der es schnell verräth,
Auf jeden weißen Zettel möcht' ich's schreiben:
Dein ist mein Herz, und soll es ewig bleiben.

Ich möcht' mir ziehen einen jungen Staar,
Bis daß er spräch' die Worte rein und klar,
Bis er sie spräch' mit meines Mundes Klang,
Mit meines Herzens vollem, [heißem]¹ Drang;
Dann säng' er hell durch ihre Fensterscheiben:
Dein ist mein Herz, und soll es ewig bleiben.

Den Morgenwinden möcht' ich's hauchen ein,
Ich möcht' es säuseln durch den regen Hain;
O, leuchtet' es aus jedem Blumenstern!
Trüg' es der Duft zu ihr von nah' und fern!
Ihr Wogen, könnt ihr nichts als Räder treiben?
Dein ist mein Herz, und soll es ewig bleiben.

Ich meint', es müßt' in meinen Augen stehn,
Auf meinen Wangen müßt' man's brennen sehn,
Zu lesen wär's auf meinem stummen Mund,
Ein jeder Athemzug gäb's laut ihr kund;
Und sie merkt nichts von all' dem bangen Treiben:
Dein ist mein Herz, und soll es ewig bleiben.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• F. Schubert • L. Spohr

L. Spohr sets stanzas 1-2, 4

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten. Herausgegeben von Wilhelm Müller. Erstes Bändchen. Zweite Auflage. Deßau 1826. Bei Christian Georg Ackermann, pages 19-20; and with Sieben und siebzig Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten. Herausgegeben von Wilhelm Müller. Dessau, 1821. Bei Christian Georg Ackermann, pages 20-21.

Published also in Frauentaschenbuch für das Jahr 1821 von de la Motte Fouqué. Nürnberg bei Joh. Leonh. Schrag, pages 401-402.

¹ Müller (1821 edition), and Schubert: "heißen"

See also this text by G. T. that either quotes or plagiarizes the first stanza.

Text Authorship:

by Wilhelm Müller (1794 - 1827), "Ungeduld", appears in Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten 1, in Die schöne Müllerin, no. 9, first published 1821 [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by (Karl) Friedrich Curschmann (1805 - 1841), "Ungeduld", op. 3 (Sechs Gesänge für Tenor (oder Sopran)) no. 6, published 1854 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], Berlin, Schlesinger [sung text not yet checked]
by Leopold Lenz (1803 - 1862), "Ich schnitt es gern in alle Rinden ein", op. 22 (Drei Gesänge) no. 2, published 183-? [ voice, piano, and horn or violoncello ] [sung text checked 1 time]
by Otto Scherzer (1821 - 1886), "Ungeduld", op. 4 (Sechs Lieder für Tenor (oder Sopran) mit Pianofortebleitung) no. 2, published 1887 [ tenor or soprano and piano ], Leipzig, Grunow [sung text not yet checked]
by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Ungeduld", op. 25 no. 7, D 795 no. 7 (1823), from Die schöne Müllerin, no. 7 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Louis [Ludwig] Spohr (1784 - 1859), "Ungeduld", op. 94 (Sechs deutsche Lieder) no. 4, stanzas 1-2,4 [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 186

Impatience

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

I would carve it fondly in the bark of trees,
I would chisel it eagerly into each pebble,
I would like to sow it upon each fresh flower-bed
With water-cress seeds, which it would quickly disclose;
Upon each white piece of paper would I write:
Yours is my heart and so shall it remain forever.

I would like to raise a young starling,
Until he speaks to me in words pure and clear,
Until he speaks to me with my mouth's sound,
With my heart's full, warm urge;
Then he would sing brightly through her windowpanes:
Yours is my heart and so shall it remain forever!

I would like to breath it into the morning breezes,
I would like to whisper it through the active grove;
Oh, if only it would shine from each flower-star!
Would it only carry the scent to her from near and far!
You waves, could you nothing but wheels drive?
Yours is my heart, and so shall it remain forever.

I thought, it must be visible in my eyes,
On my cheeks it must be seen that it burns;
It must be readable on my mute lips,
Every breath would make it loudly known to her,
And yet she notices nothing of all my yearning feelings.
Yours is my heart, and so shall it remain forever.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Wilhelm Müller (1794 - 1827), "Ungeduld", appears in Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten 1, in Die schöne Müllerin, no. 9, first published 1821
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 221